“I started out as a defenceman and even as a defenceman I was playing defence from inside the crease. My parents said I should probably try goal. I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

One of a handful of Pittsburgh natives standing in the draft, Gibson commitment to his position extends to the fact that as a young child, he felt some sympathy towards the goalies Mario Lemieux would regularly shame.

Like virtually all young goalies, Gibson’s style is a passive one. He positions himself to be hit by the puck instead of lunging or extending himself to get it.

“I’d say (Boston goalie) Tim Thomas is one of the few who goes and gets the puck,” he said. Sometimes you just think I wonder how it would be if I did that but at the same time you have to find what works for you.”

What he has is size, athleticism, enviable net coverage and an unflappable nature in the net.